Thinking Out Loud
by reilaroo
Summary: Sequel to In Love With a Boy. Ben and Carlos spend their first Valentine's Day together.


Three months after Carlos' 16th birthday, Ben and Carlos were happily dating. It was nearing Valentine's Day, and they were trying to think of the perfect gift to give to each other. Ben knew he had to give his boyfriend chocolates because they were his favorite, but he also wanted to do something else. He wanted to show Carlos how special he was to him.

Carlos was thinking very hard about his present to Ben. He knew the king loved to read and play tourney. He also loved music, so Carlos was trying to think of the perfect song to sing and play for him. A week before Valentine's Day, he was listening to the radio as he did his homework. He smiled as he heard the perfect song, and he instantly looked up the lyrics and sheet music. He had little time to practice before the holiday.

A few days before Valentine's Day, Ben rode his bike into town and went into the jewelry shop. He had to pick up the custom-made leather cuff bracelet he had ordered for Carlos. The sales assistant recognized Ben and retrieved the gift box. She nervously handed it to him. She hoped the king liked it.

Ben opened the red velvet gift box and lifted out the bracelet. It was made from black leather and had a silver heart with their initials intertwined. He felt the soft, supple leather and knew it would look amazing against his boyfriend's pale ivory skin.

"Thank you so much," he said. "This bracelet is beautiful."

"You're welcome, King Ben," the sales assistant said. "I'm pleased that you like it."

Ben quickly paid for the bracelet and returned to the castle. He was hoping to find his mother and ask for help in wrapping the present. He was terrible at wrapping gifts. His mother loved Carlos, so she would be happy to help him.

Carlos had a very busy week; he had school, homework, spending time with Ben, and secretly practicing his new song. He felt the lack of sleep would be worth it if Ben liked the song. He also made a trip into the town's bookstore. He found the perfect book for his boyfriend. It was a leather-bound collection of love poetry. He hoped Ben would like it.

Finally, it was Valentine's Day. Both boys were nervous yet hopeful that their presents would be well received. At breakfast, Ben presented Carlos with a single red rose.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Carlos."

"Thanks, Ben," he said as he took the rose. "It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," Ben said.

Carlos blushed, making his numerous freckles stand out. Jay made gagging noises as he watched the couple being cute.

"Some of us are trying to eat," Jay said.

"Leave them alone," Evie said. "I think they're cute."

"I'm with Jay," Mal said. "It's too early to watch you being this sickeningly sweet."

Carlos stuck his tongue out at his friends, and then he kissed his boyfriend. As he pulled back from the brief kiss, he said, "Don't listen to them, babe. I like your sappiness. Happy Valentine's Day."

The king chuckled. "I have to go to class, but I'll see you at lunch."

He kissed Carlos on the cheek and then left. The white-haired teenager finished his breakfast as Jay and Mal continued to mock gag. Then, the four friends went to class.

At lunch, Carlos walked over to Ben's table. The king was smiling at him. He handed over a box of deluxe chocolates. Carlos' brown eyes widened as he happily tore open the box.

"Thanks, Ben, you're the best," he said excitedly.

Then, Carlos eagerly placed a treat into his mouth and moaned as the delicious flavors hit his taste buds. He ate another chocolate before he noticed Ben staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

Ben smiled at his boyfriend. "You have chocolate all over your mouth. It reminds me of the first time we met, but this time I get to do what I wanted to do then."

Carlos was embarrassed at his messy eating habits and the reminder of his first day in Auradon. "What did you want to do?"

Instead of answering him, Ben leaned over and licked the chocolate off his face. He kissed Carlos after removing all traces of chocolate. The kiss started off gentle and chaste but quickly turned passionate. Ben's hands went into Carlos' white hair and held on tightly as his tongue explored his boyfriend's mouth.

Carlos gasped as soon as he felt Ben's tongue licking the chocolate off his cheeks, and he was soon lost to Ben's kiss. His hands clenched onto Ben's shoulders, and he only focused on his boyfriend.

Both boys forgot they were in a crowded cafeteria until they heard the catcalls and clapping. They quickly pulled apart. Ben growled as he saw everybody staring at his boyfriend. He wrapped his arm around Carlos' waist protectively and possessively. Carlos blushed as he heard Ben's growl; he loved his beastly side, but he was embarrassed because everyone saw them.

"I think we should save the chocolates for later," Carlos said.

"Yes, someplace private," Ben agreed. He couldn't resist the powerful combination of Carlos and chocolate.

That evening Ben rode his bike to the dorm to pick him up. Since it was a cold February night, Carlos snuggled up close to Ben on the back of the bike and held on tight. The king drove quickly back to the castle. He loved feeling Carlos so close to him, but it was really too cold for the bike. He was looking forward to spring, so they could go for more rides.

Ben led Carlos up to his suite where he had dinner waiting for them. Mrs. Potts had made a delicious meal for them and set the table with flowers and candles. She wanted to set a romantic mood for the young couple.

After finishing their meal, they went over to the couch in the sitting room to exchange presents. Ben was very excited so he volunteered to go first. He handed Carlos a box wrapped in black and white paper with a red bow.

Carlos unwrapped the present and took out a red velvet jewelry box. When he opened the box, he gasped in delight.

"Oh, Ben, I love it," he said as he lightly touched the silver heart and traced their initials. "Will you put it on me?"

Ben removed the cuff bracelet and placed it around Carlos' wrist. He lifted Carlos' hand to his mouth and gently kissed it. "It looks beautiful on you."

"Thank you," Carlos said. Then, he handed Ben his present.

The king eagerly removed the blue bow and yellow wrapping paper. His eyes widened as he saw the book. It was bound in navy blue leather and the title was written in gold letters. He smiled as he saw it was a collection of love poems.

"Carlos, this is wonderful," he said. "Thank you so much."

Carlos smiled with relief. He was glad that Ben liked the book. He watched as he thumbed through the pages.

"Read me one," the white-haired teenager said.

Ben looked up in surprise. "You want to hear a poem?"

Carlos nodded. "Please."

Ben skimmed through the pages and stopped at a Pablo Neruda poem.

 _Of everything I have seen,_

 _It's you I want to go on seeing:_

 _Of everything I've touched,_

 _It's your flesh I want to go on touching._

 _I love your orange laughter_

 _I am moved by the sight of you sleeping._

 _What am I to do, love, loved one?_

 _I don't know how others love_

 _Or how people loved in the past._

 _I live, watching you, loving you._

 _Being in love is my nature._

Carlos was moved by the words and the emotion in Ben's voice. He softly whispered, "Ben."

Ben placed the book down and gently held his boyfriend's hands. He rubbed his thumb over his leather bracelet. He wanted to tell Carlos something, but he was nervous. Taking a deep breath, he confessed, "Carlos, I love you."

Carlos smiled although he was trembling slightly. He was overjoyed that Ben loved him, but he could see how worried his boyfriend was. To alleviate his worry, Carlos said honestly, "I love you, Ben."

Feeling happy and relieved that Carlos returned his feelings, Ben leaned in and kissed his boyfriend. They kissed sweetly for a few minutes until Carlos pulled away.

"I have one more present for you," the white-haired teenager said.

He stood up and walked behind the couch. He picked up his hidden guitar and sat back down beside Ben. The king was looking at him with confusion.

"How did you get your guitar behind the couch?"

Carlos chuckled. "I asked Chip to hide it for me. I didn't want to ruin your surprise."

Ben smiled brightly. "Are you going to sing for me?"

"Yes, I am. I was trying to find the perfect song to sing today, but I couldn't find one that I liked. Then, this song came on the radio, and I loved it."

Carlos started strumming his guitar, warming up. Ben waited patiently; he loved listening to Carlos play and sing. He sat up straighter when he heard his voice. He didn't want to miss a single note.

 _When your legs don't work like they used to before_

 _And I can't sweep you off of your feet_

 _Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love_

 _Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks_

 _And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70_

 _And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23_

 _And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways_

 _Maybe just the touch of a hand_

 _Oh me I fall in love with you every single day_

 _And I just wanna tell you I am_

 _So honey now_

 _Take me into your loving arms_

 _Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars_

 _Place your head on my beating heart_

 _I'm thinking out loud_

 _Maybe we found love right where we are_

Ben listened avidly as Carlos sang the love song. A lone tear fell from his green eyes as he was overcome with emotions. When Carlos finished the song, Ben was speechless. He just stared at his boyfriend in awe.

Carlos nervously put his guitar down; he didn't know what Ben was thinking. He was never this quiet. He anxiously asked, "Did you like it?"

Ben snapped out of his trance when he heard how nervous Carlos was. "Yes! Of course, I liked it; you're so wonderful!"

Carlos let out the breath he was holding. "I'm glad you liked it."

"You make me so happy," Ben said. "I love you so much."

"I didn't know what love was until I met you, Ben," Carlos said; his brown eyes filling up with tears. "I never thought anybody would ever love me, but you proved me wrong. I'm so thankful that you brought us here, and I got the chance to be your friend and now your boyfriend. I love you."

Ben wiped away his tears, ignoring his own watery eyes. "Oh, Carlos, you deserve so much love, and I'm going to show you every day how much I love you."

The white-haired teenager wrapped his arms around Ben's neck and pulled him closer. He kissed him passionately. He licked his way into Ben's mouth, invoking a moan from the king, which inspired Carlos to kiss him harder and deeper.

Ben's hands gripped Carlos' waist tightly and pulled him onto his lap. He loved feeling his boyfriend's body pressed against his. He groaned as Carlos broke the kiss and started trailing kisses down his neck. He leaned his head back to give him more room to work. He felt Carlos smile against his skin before latching onto a sensitive spot and giving him a love bite.

After giving his boyfriend a hickey, Carlos leaned back as far as he could with Ben's arms wrapped tightly around him. He looked into Ben's green eyes. They admitted that they loved each other, but he didn't know if they were ready to go farther than making out.

Ben blinked out the lustful fog he was in. He could see the question in Carlos' dark chocolate brown eyes. He loved Carlos, but he knew they shouldn't rush into a physical relationship. He pressed a chaste kiss to his boyfriend's lips.

"I should get you back to the dorms," Ben said. "I don't want you to go, but we have school tomorrow."

Carlos sighed in disappointment and snuggled closer to his boyfriend. After nestling his face into Ben's neck, he said, "Let's cuddle for a few minutes, then you can drive me back."

Ben held Carlos securely against him and closed his eyes, to savor his boyfriend's warmth and closeness. It was at times like this when he didn't want to be apart from Carlos. He wanted to hold him in his arms forever.

After ten minutes of cuddling, Carlos could feel himself falling asleep. His lack of sleep over the past week was catching up to him. He reluctantly sat up. He knew it was time to go back to the dorms.

Ben smiled fondly as he saw Carlos' sleepy eyes. "Come on; let's get you home before you fall asleep."

Carlos nodded groggily, and the two boys made their way out of the castle. Ben drove his boyfriend home on his bike. He insisted on walking Carlos to his door. He hugged him tightly and then gave him a sweet goodnight kiss.

"Good night, Carlos," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said. "Good night, my king. Sweet dreams."

After he got into bed, the last thing Carlos saw before he fell asleep was the red rose and box of chocolates on his nightstand. He smiled in his sleep as he dreamt about his wonderful boyfriend, Ben.

At the castle, Ben snuggled into his bed with his new book. He thought about Carlos as he read the love poems. When he was younger, he dreamed about finding his true love and being as happy as his parents. Now, he felt like he had found his soulmate in Carlos. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. He fell asleep thinking of ways to make next year's Valentine's Day even better.


End file.
